BRADENTON, Fla. Charlotte, N.C., Mayor Patrick Cannon, who resigned March 26 after being arrested by the FBI and accused of accepting bribes, may push state lawmakers to strengthen a law removing Charlotte Douglas International Airport from the city’s control, according to published reports.
The Legislature passed a law last year creating a 13-member appointed commission to run the airport. Charlotte officials delayed the take over by challenging the action in court. The case is still pending and the city remains in charge of aviation operations.
Lawmakers who supported turning the airport over to an independent commission may have heard about a federal investigation into the alleged illicit activities by Cannon, and that may have been among the reasons they took action to change the airport’s management, the Charlotte Observer reported March 29.
Cannon, a 49-year-old Democrat who took office four months ago, was charged with theft and bribery following an FBI undercover sting. He faces up to 50 years in prison and $1.5 million in fines if convicted on all charges.
The issues surrounding Cannon’s alleged activities were not publicly known when the Legislature created a commission to run the airport last year.
However, former Charlotte City Council member Stan Campbell told the Observer that he heard rumors about Cannon, and believed the case against the former mayor would help reinforce lawmakers’ determination to take management of the airport away from the city.
Campbell, a Republican, supported last year’s legislation. He said in addition to rumors about Cannon, there were other concerns about the city’s handling of the airport, including the belief that there were plans to oust long-time airport director Jerry Orr.
Another concern stemmed from rumors that the city planned to use airport revenues to fund unrelated projects, something officials denied during last year’s controversy over control of Charlotte-Douglas.
Campbell told the newspaper that he discussed those concerns with state Sen. Bob Rucho, R-Mecklenburg, who sponsored legislation to change the operational structure of the airport in February 2013.
“We were trying to find a way to insulate the airport from any type of cronyism,” Rucho told the Observer, referring to last year’s legislation. “The priority of keeping that airport economically viable is absolutely critical to this city and the region.”
New legislation to break the legal impasse over the airport’s control has not been filed yet. Lawmakers begin their annual session May 14.
Charlotte-Douglas, operated by the city for decades, was the eighth-busiest in the nation serving 41 million passengers in 2012.
The city, which issues debt for the airport, has $838.2 million of airport revenue bonds outstanding. The senior-lien bonds are rated A-plus by Fitch Ratings and Standard & Poor’s, and Aa3 by Moody’s Investors Service.
